Extensible tool driver device



Filed Aug. 27, 1965 INVENTOR RUDOLF SCHROEDER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,343,434 EXTENSIBLE TOOL DRIVER DEVICE Rudolf Schroeder, RED. 2, Box 125, Hillsboro, Kans. 67063 Filed Aug. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 483,193

1 Claim. (CI. 8160) My invention relates to an improvement in a mechanics tool, and refers more specifically to a wrench combination in which is included a revolvable brace formation, the several parts of which are shown in the accompanying drawings.

It is a common problem among mechanics that in the design and manufacture of mechanical assemblies of various kinds that bolt heads or nuts on bolts or studs are often placed in countersunk places in inaccessible places where it is impossible to reach. Ordinary wrenches cannot be used to turn or hold the bolt head or nut, and special wrenches have been made with long legs and the like to reach and hold or turn the bolt.

In view of these difficulties I have provided my new wrench device which consists of a brace handle portion and means thereto to receive tool or wrench, of an extensible and retractable leg portion that can be adjustably fixed to rigidly set to any desired length to reach a bolt head and turn or hold it with ease and without interference from other parts of the assembly being worked on or around.

An object of the invention is to provide a device of the kind mentioned in which one leg of the device is provided with a hingedly attached hand extension for increased leverage purposes in using the device.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the kind mentioned in which the wrench may be attached and detached and exchanged for other wrenches of other size-s and the wrench is carried on a ratchet device whereby the brace handle may be moved only a part of a revolution but with the backward and forward movement, as the case may be to tighten or loosen a nut or bolt as will be readily understood.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of the kind described in which is included an adjustable, extensible and retractable leg portion on the above mentioned ratchet element and a wrench is receivable on the other end of the extensible element whereby nuts or bolt heads that are back in inaccessible places can be readily and easily turned for tightening or loosening purposes.

These and other objects of the invention will be more apparent as this description progresses.

Now referring to the accompanying drawings in which this device is shown and in which similar numerals of reference designate the same parts throughout the several figures of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the brace portion of the device including the ratchet portion above mentioned, and also the extensible and retractable wrench drive element.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail view of the extensible and retractable wrench drive portion of the device, parts of which have been broken away and shown in section for convenience of illustration.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the rockable handle joint, parts of which are broken away and shown in section for convenience of illustration, the view being as seen from the line 1lIIlI in FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is a rear end view of the extensible and retractable wrench drive assembly.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal detail, sectional view through the chuck portion of the wrench drive element,

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view through the chuck portion of the device, the view being as seen from the line VIVI in FIG. 5 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

In the drawings the device is shown as having a brace formation as shown in FIG. 1, including an upper brace leg 10, a hand hold 11, positioned substantially at 90 degrees to the leg 10 and is integrally attached at one end to one end of the leg 10. The lower end of the hand hold 11 is integrally attached to one end of a second leg 12, the other'end of which is turned downwardly in parallelism with the hand hold 11 and is provided a revolvable hand hold 13. On the other end of the leg 10 and in axial alignment with the hand hold 13 is a housing 14 that is integrally attached thereto and in which is revolvably positioned a ratchet wheel 15 that is integrally attached thereto and in which is revolvably positioned a ratchet wheel 15, that is engageable with a ratchet (not shown) whereby the handle 11 and the leg 10 may be swung backward and forward to turn the ratchet wheel 15 in one continuous direction. At 16 is shown a finger hold whereby the ratchet mechanism engaging the ratchet wheel 15 may be set to selectively turn the ratchet wheel in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, as the leg 10 is moved backwards and forwards or even turned in a full circle.

There are numerous devices that will operate as above described, any of which may work satisfactorily in this tool. Therefore specific mechanism employed herein is not shown but such a mechanism is merely being used.

On the ratchet wheel 15 is an upwardly extending multisided (square) stud 17 that is receivable in a wrench or drive shaft extension for a wrench of course, when the wrench or drive shaft for the wrench is placed thereon will be rotatably driven by the stud 16. This is also common practice and is well known in the art.

At the junction point of the leg 10 and hand hold 11 is a pair of rearwardly extending spaced apart ear elements 18 and 19, between which is closely fitted a tongue portion 20 that is pivotally mounted on a pin P and is integrally formed on one end of a handle extension 21, so that the handle portion 21 will fold over the leg 10 when not in use and may be rocked outwardly as a hand hold extension 20 of the leg 10.

In the tongue 20 is recessed a ball 22 that is spring urged to move outwardly so that as the handle 20 is rocked from the folded over position to the outwardly extended position, the ball 22 will seat in indentures in 18 and 19 (not shown) so as to station the extension handle 21 so as to hold the handle 21 in its opened or folded position. This ball and spring and indenture is in common use in many mechanical makeups as is Well known as a shap in other devices, therefore further details in regard to this detail is not further pursued. A similar construction to this is shown as a ball 21 in the square stud 17 on the ratchet.

Ordinarily as above mentioned, a socket wrench (not shown) may be placed on the stud 17 and the assembled wrench device is then ready for use, however, if the nut or bolt to be turned is in an inaccessible place, and cannot be reached by the socket Wrench above mentioned a supplemental part of the device, which is an adjustable, extensible and retractable structure such as shown in FIGS. 2, 4, S and 6 is provided. This structure comprises a socket member 24 having a rectangular opening 25 that is fashioned to receive and fit on the stud 17 shown in FIG. 1. This member 25 is rigidly attached by any suitable means to one end of a tubular extension element 26, the other end of which is threaded as shown at 27. The threaded end of the tubular member 26 is provided with a plurality of X-shaped cuts 28, preferably four in number, spaced in quadrants, around the end of the tubular element 26.

In the tubular element 26 is loosley positioned an extensible square shaft 29, the inner end of which is provided with a cylindrical shaped head portion 30 that is easily slidable within the tubular element 26. In each of the V-shaped openings 28 is positioned a chuck jaw 31, one end of which is V-shaped as shown at 32 so as to fit into the V-shaped opening 28 in the end of the tubular element 26. The jaws 31 also have a flat portion 33, which, when the jaws 31 are placed in their respective openings 28 will hear one against each side of the square extensible drive shaft 29. Also the upper outside surface of the jaws are tapered in as at 34.

Now the device is further provided with a chuck collar 35, the inner walls of which are threaded as at 36 and the outside of the collar is tapered as shown at 37 and terminates around an opening 38, through which the extensible drive shaft 29 may slidably pass.

Now the chuck collar 35 may be screwed on the threads 27 of the tubular shaft 26 with the square drive shaft 29 extending through the opening 35, whereupon the sloping surfaces 37 will engage the sloping surfaces 33 of the chuck jaws 31 and squeeze the jaws 31 against the sides of the square shaft 29 to lock the shaft 29 in any selected extended or retracted position. The outer end of the square shaft 29 is provided with a swelled portion 39 from which extends a multisided (square) stud 40 in which is seated a ball 41 that is urged to move outwardly by a spring 42 that is positioned behind the ball 41, the same as previously mentioned in other parts of the tool. Any standard socket wrench (not shown) may be placed on stud 40, and the tool is ready for use.

The operation of the device is as follows; the brace portion B of the device, as above described is usable as above mentioned. However, the wrench drive portion D of the device may be adjusted in length by loosening the collar 35 by turning the collar on the threads 27 whereupon the drive shaft 29 may he slipped outwardly or inwardly to adjust the drive assembly to a desired length, whereupon the collar 35 may be screwed downward-1y on the threads 27 at which time the sloping surface 37 of the collar 35 will engage each jaw 31 and press the jaws inwardly to solidly hear one against each side of the drive shaft 29, whereupon any standard socket wrench (not shown) may be slipped on the outer end of the drive shaft 29 and the ball 41 bearing against an indentured wall of the socket wrench will serve to retain the socket wrench on the end of the drive shaft 29, and the wrench is now ready for use.

Now while the device as shown and described is probably the preferred fo-rm of the device, it is to be understood that such modifications of the device may be employed as lie within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the spirit and intention of the invention.

Now having shown and described my invention, what I claim is:

A wrench device comprising a generally V-shaped crank arm, one leg of said crank arm having a ratchet wheel case formed thereon, an extension handle means pivotally connected to the opposite end of said one leg of said crank arm, said handle means when in an extended position forming a continuation of said leg and when in a folded position being adjacent to and substantially parallel to said leg, a ratchet wheel including a drive stud carried in said case, an extension means carried by said drive stud, said extension means including a tubular element with a chuck means on the outer end thereof and a multisided shaft carried therein, a socket receiving portion on the outer end of said multisided shaft, said chuck means comprising a plurality of chuck jaws, the inner end portion of each jaw being V-shaped and the outer end portion of the tubular element having V- shaped notches therein, one for each jaw, and the V- shaped portion of each jaw being seated in its respective V-shaped notch, the outer surface of the notched end of the tubular element being threaded, an internally threaded chuck collar screwed on the threaded portion of the tubular element, the inner surface of the outer end portion of the collar being conical in shape and bearing against said jaws so as to forcibly press each of said jaws against its respective face.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,079,520 11/1903 Shreve 279-56 1,151,088 8/1915 Curbertson. 1,270,754 6/1918 Parker 27956 1,412,718 4/1922 Straehle 8173 1,419,100 6/1922 Ayotte 81-177.2 X 2,476,364 7/1949 Gaines 81-73 JAMES L. JONES, 1a., Primary Examiner. 

